Time to start paying attention to your $1 coins!
A mix up at a mint in 2000 created a rare $1/10c hybrid - also called a mule coin - which is valued by rare coin collectors at thousands of times its face value.
The coin was made when a technician at the Royal Australian Mint accidentally paired the kangaroo-patterned ‘tails’ side of the coin with the ‘head’ of a 10c piece, explains the Australian Coin Collecting Blog.
This created a coin that is slightly thicker than a regular $1, gold, with a double rim around the Queen.
Those keen on collecting the coin in the early 2000s withdrew tons of $1 coins from banks, and went hunting in casinos for change.
The majority of the coins wound up in Perth, and while the mule frenzy peaked around 2003/2004, the rare coin is still in circulation.
Double check your $1 coins from now on! You might just win a jackpot!
